Bahareh Toghiani Rizi

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Bahareh Toghiani Rizi, Youth Representative on the EC&E Advisory Committee

Bahareh Toghiani Rizi is a recent B.Sc. Environmental Science graduate from Simon Fraser University (SFU). During her time at SFU, Bahareh was actively involved with the Student Union and acted as its Chair for a year. She also participated in a co-operative education program where she worked as an Air Issues Research Assistant with the former Air Quality Management Unit at Environment Canada and a Life Sciences Sector Assistant with the British Columbia Innovation Council (BCIC), where she has continued her employment to date. When she is not spending time with her family, friends or pets, Bahareh enjoys playing soccer and volunteering with Metro Vancouver Parks. She hopes to continue her studies in the near future and acquire a planning degree related to energy and sustainable community development.

Who do you represent on BC Hydro's engagement initiatives?
I represent youth on the Electricity Conservation & Efficiency (EC&E) Advisory Committee. Besides trying to provide youth perspective on how to achieve energy conservation and efficiency goals, I give updates about what we are discussing and working on at our meetings and in our Working Groups to the SFU Student Union and other people in my social network. This serves to educate young people about energy conservation and efficiency, as well as encourage youth to get involved with decision-making processes that affect their lives. I hope this engagement begins to foster the culture of conservation within youth that is required to ensure that British Columbia's energy conservation and efficiency goals will be achieved.

What are some of your responsibilities as a Life Sciences Sector Assistant at the BC Innovation Council?
As a Life Sciences Sector Assistant with the BC Innovation Council, most of my work steams from its Agriculture, Food, and Bioproducts Fund. The purpose of this fund is to improve the competitiveness, sustainability, and technological advancement of the agriculture, food and bioproducts sectors in B.C. I help support programs and initiatives under this fund that aim to increase the transfer of knowledge and commercialization of new science and technology-based innovations in these sectors.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy collaborating with members from industry, academia, and government to support commercialization of innovations that will render our province more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. It's important to work together with people that have different backgrounds to break down silos and work more efficiently towards common goals.

When did you become involved with BC Hydro's engagement initiatives?
I joined the EC&E Advisory Committee in April 2009.

What are your top two or three energy interests?
My energy interests are related to understanding and developing strategies to decrease energy consumption through conservation and efficiency actions at the individual, market and societal level contexts – an integrated approach to energy planning is critical to effectively change the way we currently use electricity in the province.

What are your top two or three BC Hydro interests?
I'm interested in seeing BC Hydro develop more energy conservation and efficiency initiatives at the societal level. Community patterns and lifestyle elements are part of the fundamental root of why people use electricity the way they do. Support in making strategic changes at this level is essential for creating any real positive impact with regards to energy consumption and environmental conservation.

What BC Hydro initiatives are you currently involved in?
I'm involved with the EC&E Advisory Committee and the Strategic Framework Working Group.

What motivates you to engage with BC Hydro?
By participating in this process and sharing its outcomes with other youth, I hope to help jump start and encourage the aggressive changes that are needed at the individual, market and societal level contexts to reduce the province's electricity demand. We have to be mindful of young people and future generations that will live with the consequences of energy-related decisions made today and their environmental consequences.

What strengths do you bring to the engagement table?
I have a well-rounded understanding of sustainability and I enjoy relaying what I learn at the engagement table to my peers and others in my community.

What's your most memorable experience with BC Hydro?
My most memorable experience with BC Hydro was listening to the Strategic Framework Working Group present on pursuing energy conservation and efficiency at the societal/community level and the robust discussion that followed the presentation at my first EC&E Advisory Committee meeting. Up until that point in the day, I wasn't sure if I made the right decision to be involved with the Committee, but after that discussion I was positive that I made the right choice: the EC&E Advisory Committee provides a unique opportunity for people with different backgrounds and perspectives to come together to help develop real tangible solutions to reduce the province's electricity demand.

Do you feel your stakeholder interests are given due consideration?
It's a bit too soon to say if my stakeholder interests have been given due consideration as I haven't been a part of the Committee for very long; the recommendation to implementation process takes time. I am pleased and impressed, however, by the response to our recommendations and the continual support of BC Hydro staff to facilitate the process.

What are your top two recommendations to help BC Hydro become more stakeholder-focused and better able to meet your interests?
BC Hydro needs to better communicate its planning process regarding energy conservation and efficiency-related initiatives to stakeholders. A better alignment and coordination of the committee's recommendations with BC Hydro's current planning process will facilitate the recommendation process and most likely increase the successful implementation of approved recommendations.